Welcome to the Story Bistro blog!
Our most recent posts have been cued up for your enjoyment. This month, our focus is on blooming and deepening our online relationships.
(See the footer at the bottom of this page to browse by category.)
The Francophile Who Refused to Quit
A CPA Dreams Big, Does the Math and Makes It Happen by Alecia Caine of Find Yourself in France My dream has roots in my childhood. I fell in love with the French language the first time I heard it in class when one of the mothers came in to teach us. I thought it was...
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My Personal Battle With Comparisonitis (and How I’m Making Peace)
She's a gnarly bitch that Comparisonitis. She and I bump heads at least once or twice a year. (When I was younger, it was more like once or twice a month.) You'd think I'd be less surprised now when she sidles up beside me. And not-so-innocently whispers in my ear,...
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The Ultimate Branding Quiz (It’s NOT What You Think)
Wondering which branding quiz will give you the definitive answers about what makes you unique? It's true, you've got options. Unless you've been hiding under a rock lately, you've undoubtedly been harassed by at least a dozen "Which _________ are you?" quizzes in...
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How to Tell a Compelling Story with Your About Page
Do you dread writing your About Page (like you dread cleaning out the fridge)? You're not alone. We all know we need one. And yes, it's probably one of THE most-visited pages on your entire site. (Have you checked your Google Analytics lately? Go do it. I'll wait.)...
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Don’t Ask Them to Follow You. Follow THEM First.
This post is part of the 30-Day Bloom Your Online Relationships Challenge. If you'd like to play along, you can sign up here (don't worry -- it's FREE). We're all working through these small, powerful actions together and sharing our questions, learnings and...
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Show Them You’re Listening
My own business coach is...
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Ask for Advice
This post is part of the 30-Day Bloom Your Online Relationships Challenge. If you'd like to play along, you can sign up here (don't worry -- it's FREE). We're all working through these small, powerful actions together and sharing our questions, learnings and...
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Uncorked: Anne Gillme Helps Expats Connect and Thrive
Welcome to our bi-monthly series: Corkers Uncorked. These are some of my most treasured interviews -- mostly because I get to know my readers (you!) on a whole different level. We focus on your astounding biz-related superpowers and origin stories. Bonus: you get to...
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Tipping Sacred Marketing Cows: “You MUST Have an Elevator Pitch”
Want to be different and stand out from the crowd? One of the best ways to do that is to challenge the status quo. And over at the Business Luminaries’ Roundtable, that’s exactly what we’re doing. Talking about the elephants in the various rooms of our industries....
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Context Matters: How to Stop Confusing People and Connect With a Hungry Audience
Meet Joshua Bell. He's HUGE in the classical music world. A few years ago, he posed as a street musician in in Washington DC, and nobody paid him any attention. Normally, if you want to see this guy play, you have to shell out a minimum of $100 (that's for the cheap...
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How to Reach Your Target Market in a Down Economy
Recently, I wrote a post called It’s All About YOU. (That’s the page you might want to bookmark and visit later as it was made especially for our readers to share themselves and their questions -- no expiration date!). Today, I address a question from Karen Vaisman of...
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A Solid Brand Begins with One True Passion
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: a partridge in a pear tree... Welcome to Day One of my 12 Days of Branding series. Each day -- from now until Christmas* -- you'll be gifted with branding advice, case studies and more. If you like what you see,...
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Designing a Brand that Works: 6 Key Eye-Catching Elements
It’s Day 6 of the 12 Days of Branding. If you missed any of the series thus far, you can find them here. In today’s installment we'll look at the six key elements of using design to create memorable visual representations for your...
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Feed Us a Story
Stories are food. Feed everyone and be willing to let them feed you, too. Remember humans love stories — it’s hardwired into how we learn and grow. Why did you start your business? That’s a story. Who are your best customers (and what makes them the best)? That’s...
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The Downton Abbey Guide to Building a Passionate Tribe
You may not know Lady Gaga from Lady Grantham. Yet. But the odds are good that you do. Why? Because Downton Abbey is one of the most popular British sensations to hit the US (and the world) since...well, The Beatles. And it’s not just because the characters have funny...
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Book Marketing Lessons from a Finance Rockstar
As the President of Small Business Finance Forum, Nicole Fende, aka the Numbers Whisperer™ is a credentialed actuary with experience as a Chief Financial Officer, Investment Banker, and successful entrepreneur. She's also the author of the new book, "How to be a...
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Book Review: “Uprising: How to Build a Brand and Change the World” (Plus a chance to win a FREE copy)
I love to read -- it's one of the reasons I do book reviews here (so that I have access to all the latest and greatest business books). But this, my friends, is a book you absolutely must read if you're serious about building something bigger than yourself. I know...
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Small Business Pickles: a True Tale of Trust and Betrayal
na·ive [nah-eev] adjective having or showing a lack of experience, judgment, or information; credulous: She's so naive she believes everything she reads. It's easy to see looking through the rear-view mirror that one of my biggest life lessons is trust. Who to trust....
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Are You Smokin’ a Joint (Venture)? Why Collaboration MUST Come First
I've been doing a lot of hanging out with freakishly cool kids. (Have you noticed?) First came the Word Carnival carnies. (An ever-growing close-knit tribe of bloggers who write for the small biz crowd.) We've been together for almost nine months now. Then came the...
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Game-Changers Wanted: I Need Your Advice
Note: Recently, I published a post about blowing things up. That post literally got more comments than any other post I've ever received on this site. Clearly, I'm not the only one frustrated by the system as it exists. I've been getting a lot of questions and...
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This Week’s Marketing Dish: Apple Nachos
Keith Pillow of Caddy Marketing submitted the first dish up for examination in my new weekly series that answers the question, "What the heck can we learn about marketing from our favorite foods?" An expert on marketing and communications, career advancement, and...
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Brandscaping: An Interview with the Author, Andrew M. Davis
Just before Christmas, I picked up a new book called "Brandscaping: Unleashing the Power of Partnerships." And I really enjoyed it. So much so, that I added it to my Must Read Marketing List and then reached out to the author for an interview. Andrew Davis says...
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Wanna Be My Plus One? Why I’m Falling in Like with Google + (and Why You Might, Too)
About a month ago, I made a conscious decision to spend more time over on Google+. I did this knowing that the odds are you're not hanging out there (yet) -- even if you do have a G+ account. I did this even though I have no desire to learn some newfangled social...
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10 Solid Tips for Marketing Your Online Courses
This is a guest post from one of our Digital Dining Room members, Abe Crystal of ruzuku.com. If there’s one question we hear at ruzuku over and over again, it’s, "How do I effectively market and promote my online course?" Fundamentally? Marketing your course is STILL...
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After the Sale: How to Create Strong Client Relationships
Everything is about relationships. (Marketing, too.) That extends to things we do after the sale. After all, it's much easier to keep a client than to find a new one. If your client relationships aren't as strong as you'd like them to be, it may be time to put your...
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5 Ways to Keep Your Marketing Costs from Boiling Over
This is a guest post by Samar Owais Marketing is a lot like cooking— easy for those who enjoy it and hell on earth for those who don’t. Until a couple of years ago, I sucked at both. While I didn’t kill my business or food poison anyone in my family, I came...
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The Marketing Plan is Dead. Long Live the Storytelling Framework
I have a confession: I've never really enjoyed writing marketing plans. There's math, and a bazillion details and research. And planning feels so...corporate. I did a LOT of it when I headed up various marketing departments earlier in my career. After all, we weren't...
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